New research suggests that the intensity of exercise might be more important than the quantity in helping to prevent death from heart disease and other causes.

In a study presented last week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2011, scientists described new research that examined the relationship between exercise duration, exercise intensity, and total risk of death [1]. Lead researcher Peter Schnohr of Copenhagen, Denmark explained that both male and female cyclists had a decreased total risk of death if they cycled vigorously (by their own perception), but that cycling duration didn’t show a similar protective effect.